Electric-railway system.



No. 7|0,072. Patented Sept. 30, I902. W. B. POTTER.

ELECTRIC RAILWAY SYSTEM.

' (Application filed Feb. 28, 1901.

(No Model.)

Witmsses. V lnvenfion Wilham Bfiotter;

UN a ST PATENT wILLIAM B; POTTER, or SCHENEGTADY', NEW YORK, Assionon To cEnEnA ELECTRIC COMPANY, A CORPORA'IION ornnw YORK.

ELECTRIC-RAILWAY SYSTEM,

SPEGIFIGATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 710,072, dated September 30, 1902.

" v Application filed February 28, 1901i ,l serial No. 4:9217. (No moclehl I I To all whom; it may concern.-

Be it known that I, WILLIAM B. POTTER, a

citizenof the United States, residing at Schenectady, county of Schenectady, State of New I 5; York, have invented certain new and useful I Improvements in Electric-Railway Systems, r

(Case. No. 1,646,) of which thefollowi'ng is a p the shaft of which extends at one end but specification. M v

This invention relates to electric railways;

it and its object is to provide an electric-railwayv car or train with sanding devics actuate by electric motors under the contrbl of .themotormanv The sand-boxes ordinarily providedon electric cars are not alw'aysre- (r5 liable, for the reason that the sand is liable to choke in the-delivery-spout or become caked inthe box, so that when the valve is opened a the sand does notflow out. This necessiiates opening the box, stirring up the sand, no and poking a stick or wire down the spent to start the delivery, all of whichis decidedly annoying and may cause serious loss of time. My invention comprises agitating and feeding devices applied to the sand boxes and driven by suitable means under-control of v the motor-man, so that the delivery of the sand will be positive and reliable. I prefer to use for the operating device a small electrio motor, and when several sand-boxes are used on a car or two or more cars are coupled into a train the several lnptors are electric ally connected to a commonsupply system, preferably in multiple, so that by closing a single switch all the sanding devices may be operated.simultaneously.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a sectional side elevation 'of my improved sanding device. Fig. 2- is a diagram showing the electrical connections for the sanding 46 devices on a train of two cars. I 1

The sand box or hopper A is secured to the floor B of the car, preferably above the same and adjacent to the wheels of the truck. The sidesof the box converge at the bottom to a delivery-opening a, communicating with a delivery conduit, the first portion of which is a chamber a, in the lease A ofthe box. The chamber runs transverse to the opening I, and constitutes a reverselybent portion, he 50 log preferably inclined hpward at such an all-- itself. From the upper end of the chamber I I proceeds a downwardly-extending spout A, communicating with a delivery-pipe C, which terminates an inch or two above the rail D in front of the wheel E. In the chamber a is houseda device for giving a positive feed a to the sand, preferably ascrew conveyor. F,

shaft H of an electric motor I. The shaft II also carries a Worm K, driving a worm-gear L, on which is a crank Z, connected by a rod M with a reciprocating agitator N, project ing across the hopper above the deliveryopening a. p v g It will be readily understood that when the motor is supplied with current it will reciprocats the agitator and revolve the conveyor, thereby delivering sand from the box to the pipe 0. a i v I do not limit myself to the specific mechanism shown and described, since it is evident that there are many ways in, which an electromagnetic motive-power device can be -1nadeto impart a positive feed to the sand.

I have chosen the mechanism shown merely because it exemplifies a simple, efficient, and reliable mode of carrying. my invention into effect. I 7

Each car is provided with one or more sand-, ing devices on each side, and in order-to en-. able the mot-orman to operate them at will all 8 of the motors are connected to a common supply system comprising, as shown a single supply-conductor R, running through the car, to which one of the terminals of each motor is connected, and a common ground conncction for the other terminals. The conductor R is provided at each end with flexible conpling-cables r, by which it can be joined to the corresponding conductor on an adjacent car of the train. conductor R", containing a switch S, runs to a trolley connection '1'. By simply closing 7 one of the switches the motorman can start all the sanding devices What I claim as new, and desire to secure I00 by Letters Patent of the United States, isgle that the sand wnlnct run through of i i. The combination with an electricrailway At each end of the car a branch car, of a sanding device comprising a rotatableconveyer, a rotating electric motor connected therewith, and means whereby the motorman can start and stop said motor at will.

2. The combination with an electric-railwaycar, itwo or more sanding devices each comprising a rotatable conveyor, a rotating electric motor for each, and circuit connections whereby the motornian can start and stop said motors at will.

3. The combination with an electric-railway car, of two or more. sanding devices each provided with anelectromagneti-c operating mechanism, and circuits connecting said mechanisms in multiple.

4. The combination with one or more electrio-railway cars, of two or more sanding devices on each car, a rotating electric motor for operating each device, and means for simultaneously connecting said motors in multiple.

5. In combination, aplurality of cars united to form a train, sand-boxes on some or all of said cars, electric motors controlling the delivery of sand therefrom, a train-conductor to which said motors are connected, a,sonrce of current-supply, and means located at several desired points on the train for connect-v inc: said conductor to said source of supply.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my 6 I hand this 25th day of February, 1901.

WILLIAM B. POTTER.

Witnesses:

BENJAMIN B, HULL, E WARD WILLIAMS, J r. 

